The Fire and the Veil (Veronica Barry Book 2) by Sophia Martin Page A
Authors: Sophia Martin
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Roosevelt.
As she approached she looked Shelby over. Her long, wavy blonde hair fell over her shoulders. She wore tight jeans with shearling boots over them and a velvet hoodie, zipped up. Her hands were stuffed in her pockets. Mist came from her mouth with each breath.
“Hey,” Shelby said.
“Hey.”
“Mos is going to be here any minute,” Shelby said. “He’s driving us to Rich’s.”
“Since when does Mos have a car?”
“Since he stole one, I guess. I don’t know,” Shelby said.
“What’s going on at Rich’s?”
“Maricela scored.”
Lola nodded. The earlier thudding of her heart had subsided. Her shoulders felt tense, instead.
“I heard you got suspended,” Shelby said.
“No. I just got sent out of class. But my mom was pissed. She’s been sick a lot lately and this stuff just stresses her out. That fucker Candleman called her.”
“Who’s he, your teacher?”
“He’s a VP.”
Shelby rolled her eyes. “I can’t stand VPs.”
“I thought all you had was a principal at Sierra Nueva.”
“Yeah, but I used to go to Sac High. We had four VPs there. It sucked. Someone was always up in your business.”
“Yeah.”
Headlights came around a corner two blocks away and headed for them. When it drove under the nearest street lamp, Veronica could see that it was a late 80s sedan with rust spots and gray paint. The boy she thought of as “Curly” was behind the wheel. He must be Mos.
He pulled over to the curb and leaned to swing the passenger door open from the inside. Lola let herself into the back. The backseat was upholstered in gray velvet that had seen better days.
“Shit, if you stole this car you’re a bigger moron than I thought,” Lola said as Shelby sat in the front passenger seat.
“Moron? You’re welcome for me coming to pick you up, bitch,” Mos shot back, looking at her in the rearview. “And who says I stole it?”
“I don’t know, that’s what Shelby said,” Lola answered with a shrug.
“I was just guessing,” Shelby said defensively.
“I didn’t steal it, it’s my brother’s. He’s letting me borrow it cause I’m helping him with some business, you know?”
“I know I’m gonna hear you got locked up in a day or two,” Shelby said, shaking her head.
“Girl, shut up. What do you know?” Mos declared. He turned the wheel and they were moving. “Shit.”
“Is Caitlin gonna be there tonight?” Lola asked after a moment. “Cause if she is, she better stay away from me or Imma hit her.”
“I feel you,” Mos said.
“That bitch never stops whining,” Lola said.
“Aw, come on, Lola, Caitlin’s not so bad,” Shelby said.
Lola’s face flushed hot and she pushed herself as far back into the seat as she could, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn’t say anything else for the rest of the drive, and did her best to ignore Mos and Shelby’s conversation. Veronica could tell Mos had a thing for Shelby, though. He was quick to call Lola a bitch, but Shelby he almost always agreed with.
They pulled up in front of a small, one-story house. In the dark neighborhood you could hear things going on. Music from one house, a bottle breaking, faint shouts, a dog barking. The older model cars in the driveways looked like they hadn’t run in some time. Crushed cans and plastic bags lay here and there on the ground. Some of the houses had low chain link fences around them, and many had lawns with large patches of bare dirt. One house had a tree in the front yard with a tire swing hanging from it.
Lola followed Shelby and Mos up the cracked walkway to the house they’d parked in front of. She hung back a bit. Veronica could feel her turmoil—she was angry that Shelby had defended Caitlin, and she also felt humiliated. Why? Why care so much?
When they entered the house they came into a living room, lit by two lamps that probably only had 40 watt bulbs, at best. The couch, a brown velour monstrosity, had two figures making out on
As she approached she looked Shelby over. Her long, wavy blonde hair fell over her shoulders. She wore tight jeans with shearling boots over them and a velvet hoodie, zipped up. Her hands were stuffed in her pockets. Mist came from her mouth with each breath.
“Hey,” Shelby said.
“Hey.”
“Mos is going to be here any minute,” Shelby said. “He’s driving us to Rich’s.”
“Since when does Mos have a car?”
“Since he stole one, I guess. I don’t know,” Shelby said.
“What’s going on at Rich’s?”
“Maricela scored.”
Lola nodded. The earlier thudding of her heart had subsided. Her shoulders felt tense, instead.
“I heard you got suspended,” Shelby said.
“No. I just got sent out of class. But my mom was pissed. She’s been sick a lot lately and this stuff just stresses her out. That fucker Candleman called her.”
“Who’s he, your teacher?”
“He’s a VP.”
Shelby rolled her eyes. “I can’t stand VPs.”
“I thought all you had was a principal at Sierra Nueva.”
“Yeah, but I used to go to Sac High. We had four VPs there. It sucked. Someone was always up in your business.”
“Yeah.”
Headlights came around a corner two blocks away and headed for them. When it drove under the nearest street lamp, Veronica could see that it was a late 80s sedan with rust spots and gray paint. The boy she thought of as “Curly” was behind the wheel. He must be Mos.
He pulled over to the curb and leaned to swing the passenger door open from the inside. Lola let herself into the back. The backseat was upholstered in gray velvet that had seen better days.
“Shit, if you stole this car you’re a bigger moron than I thought,” Lola said as Shelby sat in the front passenger seat.
“Moron? You’re welcome for me coming to pick you up, bitch,” Mos shot back, looking at her in the rearview. “And who says I stole it?”
“I don’t know, that’s what Shelby said,” Lola answered with a shrug.
“I was just guessing,” Shelby said defensively.
“I didn’t steal it, it’s my brother’s. He’s letting me borrow it cause I’m helping him with some business, you know?”
“I know I’m gonna hear you got locked up in a day or two,” Shelby said, shaking her head.
“Girl, shut up. What do you know?” Mos declared. He turned the wheel and they were moving. “Shit.”
“Is Caitlin gonna be there tonight?” Lola asked after a moment. “Cause if she is, she better stay away from me or Imma hit her.”
“I feel you,” Mos said.
“That bitch never stops whining,” Lola said.
“Aw, come on, Lola, Caitlin’s not so bad,” Shelby said.
Lola’s face flushed hot and she pushed herself as far back into the seat as she could, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn’t say anything else for the rest of the drive, and did her best to ignore Mos and Shelby’s conversation. Veronica could tell Mos had a thing for Shelby, though. He was quick to call Lola a bitch, but Shelby he almost always agreed with.
They pulled up in front of a small, one-story house. In the dark neighborhood you could hear things going on. Music from one house, a bottle breaking, faint shouts, a dog barking. The older model cars in the driveways looked like they hadn’t run in some time. Crushed cans and plastic bags lay here and there on the ground. Some of the houses had low chain link fences around them, and many had lawns with large patches of bare dirt. One house had a tree in the front yard with a tire swing hanging from it.
Lola followed Shelby and Mos up the cracked walkway to the house they’d parked in front of. She hung back a bit. Veronica could feel her turmoil—she was angry that Shelby had defended Caitlin, and she also felt humiliated. Why? Why care so much?
When they entered the house they came into a living room, lit by two lamps that probably only had 40 watt bulbs, at best. The couch, a brown velour monstrosity, had two figures making out on
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